New Delhi, Sept. 1 -- Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Sunday announced that nearly Rs.1,600 crore of pending GST refunds to traders in the national capital will be released before Diwali. Refunds have been pending since 2019. "Taking serious note of the issue, we have issued clear directions that the entire refund be disbursed to traders before Diwali," Gupta said. "The Delhi GST department, in collaboration with IIT-Hyderabad, has developed an advanced IT module to make the refund process faster and more transparent. This system, based on data analytics, data automation, and expedited verification, will ensure quicker settlement of refund applications, providing timely relief to traders," she added. Gupta convened a special meeting of the Department of Trade and Taxes (GST) at her camp office "Chief Minister Jan Seva Sadan," attended by GST commissioner Nandini Paliwal, finance secretary Shurveer Singh and other senior officials. "Timely refunds will ensure adequate liquidity for traders, reduce their litigation costs, and collectively accelerate Delhi's economic growth," she added. On June 15, the government had approved the formation of the Delhi Traders Welfare Board....